Crow hunting equipment

Crow hunting - tips and tricks from practice

When hunting crows, there are some important things to consider in order to be successful in the long run:

1. The right location
2. The right camouflage
3. The perfect decoy
4. The right behaviour

What crow hunting equipment should you use? When do you need to be in the hunting area? What role does the wind play?

This article will answer all these questions.

1. Choosing the right place to hunt crows - avoiding mistakes

Whether you are successful in hunting crows depends to a large extent on the choice of location. After all, what good is the best camouflage screen or the biggest decoy if no crows come by?

How to find the ideal location

Hunting for crows therefore starts a few days before the actual hunting day. It is important to scout out the crows' flight routes and check on which areas they gather to feed.
What routes do the crows take from the roosting trees to the feeding grounds ? At what times can they be found and where?

All these observations are taken into account when choosing the right location.

Place the camouflage screen in the right place

Once you have found a suitable area, you should take care when placing the camouflage screen that it is neither too close to high trees nor power lines, as the crows could otherwise set up there. Ideal places are low hedges or even maize fields where you can hide the umbrella well.

You should also not disregard the wind. Since crows, like all other birds, fly into the wind, the umbrella must be placed so that the hunter has "the wind at his back".

2. Camouflage when hunting crows - the top priority

Proper camouflage plays an essential role when hunting blackfeathered birds. Only the slightest mistake in the hunter's camouflage - and the desired success will fail to materialise. For crows see very well and recognise even the smallest changes in their environment.

Camouflage parachute - how to set it up correctly

As a basic principle, always use a camouflage screen to disguise their contours and hide their movements from the crows. We offer different solutions for this: Either you use ready-made camouflage umbrellas, such as the Field Hunter camouflage umbrella, the Ameristep Duck Commander Blind or you put together a set of camouflage nets and hide poles for your needs yourself.

In addition to the camouflage nets, you should alsoblind the umbrella with natural material so that it blends in perfectly with the landscape and even experienced old crows will not suspect anything. You should build your canopy as close as possible . This prevents overflying crows from looking into your camouflage umbrella too easily.

What role does the hunter's camouflage play?

The camouflage of the hunter himself is of particular importance, as crows can see movements, very far, especially if you are not camouflaged. Camouflage clothing from head to toe is therefore obligatory.

You should not disregard the face or hands, as these parts of the body, if not camouflaged, will "shine" particularly far for the crows.

3. The decoy pattern for crow hunting - variance for lasting success

If you want to be successful in the long run, you have to use a variety of decoy patterns for crow hunting.

At the beginning of the hunting season, large decoy patterns with 30  and more crows are particularly attractive to the many young crows. Later in the year, only 5 decoy crows in a large area can make the old crow pair come to a halt. However, you should always orientate the number of rookery crows on the occurrence in the territory. In general, it is better to have too many decoy crows than too few!

If you want to outwit even the most experienced old crow, you can use one or more crow magnets in addition to the other decoy crows. These add movement to the decoy pattern and thus create confidence.

4. Correct behaviour - successful hunting

Early risers have a clear advantage when hunting crows, as everything usually takes place in the early hours of the morning. Camouflage and decoy should be set up under the cover of darkness so as not to give crows the opportunity to watch and learn. 
Half an hour before sunrise at the latest, you should sit in the umbrella and wait for things to come. Often the first crows fly at the crow attract at dusk.

You should move as little as possible in the umbrella and only get up at the last moment before shooting and strike just above the camouflage net. You should also have the crow attractant ready to hand hanging around your neck so that you move as little as possible. A lanyard keeps all your decoys close at hand.

If you have any further questions about specific products or crow hunting, please do not hesitate to contact us: Just call our advice hotline.